


Our Constellation

by daraenss



Series: Deep blue skies and a promise [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Constellations, Late Night Conversations, M/M, One Shot, Post Game, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Stars, THEY FINALLY REALIZED, TrueRivalShipping, dnkb - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:08:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28600458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daraenss/pseuds/daraenss
Summary: Several months passed since Leon's title was snatched away from him, and his work in the Battle Tower had been nothing but good for him. One night, he gets lost as he was trying to get home and, somehow, ends up in Hammerlocke City. After suddenly finding Raihan watching the stars, they start reminiscing about a conversation they once had in that same place, and new promises arise.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Series: Deep blue skies and a promise [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095716
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	Our Constellation

Tiny little dots of light covered the endless sky above the surface. For some people, they were the protagonists of many magical tales—heroes who fought against monsters and, by the grace of their gods, were lifted to the enormous blanket of stars in the form of constellations—; for other people, they saw the stars as matter that had to be rigorously studied for science—physics, complicated theories, the great bang at the beginning of everything, mathematical calculations. But, for Raihan, the stars were a safe place. Whenever he felt alone, forgotten and, foremost, lost, he knew that the stars above his head were always going to shine for him. No matter if he was in Hammerlocke, in Wyndon or in Hulbury, the stars were always going to be there. The stars were not going to leave him or stop shining if he lost a battle or if he wasn’t feeling well; and Raihan didn’t care if the constellations could not hear him, he still told them everything.

From the top of the walls of Hammerlocke Castle, just in front of the famous vault, Raihan was sitting on the edge of the wall, staring at the deep horizon in which the Earth joined the Sky. That place—that specific spot in which the two worlds connected— could only be paradise. On his face there was nostalgia, a small smile was drawn on the corners of his lips, his eyes were trying their hardest to not get lost in the infinity of the view from the castle and, overall, his expression seemed as if he were speaking to an old friend. But his only friend at the moment was the starry sky.

“I lost a match today,” Raihan said, taking off his headband to move it around his fingers. “It’s weird, but… Losing matches now doesn’t hurt. Winning also doesn’t make me feel anything.”

From his lips, a sarcastic, dry laugh escaped. He didn’t say anything funny, yet he laughed just to not fall into the abyssal sadness of melancholy. Raihan had always been a man of intense emotions, from an intense personality during battles to the most chill guy in all of the Galar region; but lately he had been feeling off. The worst thing is that he wasn’t feeling sad, he just was… empty. That was the word that he was trying to find all this time.

“Battling is fun, don’t get me wrong,” he added quickly, as if the stars were going to judge him for something. Maybe it was his status as an influencer, but he felt the need of justifying everything he said to not be misunderstood, even if it meant to blurb nonsense to the sky. “But I don’t know why I’m still doing it, you know…”

The nights were cold in Hammerlocke, but Raihan was capable of suffering even the worst weather just for a moment of peace. He couldn’t deny his influence in the region, as many people looked up to him for many reasons—some liked his battle style, some others his looks—, so he had to make up a persona when he was in the public eye. Everytime he stepped out of his house, he had to be that extroverted, cool guy; but even the most outgoing person could get tired sometimes of being in the spotlight. In an attempt to run from the cameras after a long day, he found that safe place on the upper part of the Hammerlocke Castle, and it quickly began to be his go-to place after a bad day. In that place, not a single soul could bother him, and the cold breeze freezing his fingers felt nice sometimes. Not even his Pokémon accompanied him there, since Raihan didn’t want his Pokémon to get bored in the silence of his thoughts.

Even if the pressure of the public was too much for a guy like him, he wouldn’t wish for a different life. Bad days were only a small portion of it, and the rain would always go away after some time, leading to a sunny sky. Lives weren’t different, but some rainy days were longer than others, and some people’s lives had heavier rain. Still, rain would always stop, and even the muddiest ground would dry in order for people to walk again. It was a matter of time—the slow, but certain time.

And, like lightning in the sky, some footsteps behind his back made Raihan turn around quickly, alert of his surroundings. But, to his surprise, the only thing he saw was a very familiar silhouette: a regal, red velvet attire, caramel brown pants and a dumb smile on the face. The purple, long hair of the man was dancing with the breeze, and his nervous laugh broke the silence of Raihan’s safe spot.

“Leon?” Raihan raised his voice, genuinely surprised and even standing up from the castle wall. “What are you doing here?”

But Leon didn’t answer right away, but he rather took some time to approach Raihan to the edge of the wall, scratching the back of his neck and sweating bullets.

“I thought I was heading home…” he replied in a soft tone, putting both his arms on the wall and looking at the horizon. “No wonder why I was taking too long to get home from the Battle Tower.”

Raihan couldn’t help it but grin a little. The man in front of him no longer carried the title of the Undefeated Champion on his back, but he still was the same Leon he had always been, and Raihan couldn’t be more grateful for that. He was one of the many people who thought that Leon’s decision to use such an elegant outfit for the Battle Tower was an incredible choice—and even more after seeing him using his Champion attire for ten years—, and he looked even more mature with it. Leon looked like a proper adult, or something like that, and after the horrible deal with Eternatus and his first defeat, Raihan thought that Leon would be devastated, but it was the opposite. He looked even happier now, and that’s when Raihan understood the heavy chains that were grounding his rival for so long.

Without waiting for an answer, Leon jumped to the edge of the wall to sit beside Raihan, staring at him and smiling in the process. “Actually,” Leon said. “This reminds me of the last I found you here. I was still Champion and… you lost to me the next day.”

Raihan snorted upon hearing him. “Was it necessary to say the last part?” He finally looked at Leon, with a slight smirk on his face, an expression of fun that was impossible to erase from his gaze. “I remember it too,” he answered shortly after. “The stars were twinkling like this and I showed you my favorite constellations.”

After saying that, Leon looked up to the sky in awe. He remembered it clearly, even if it was months ago. Before his nightly encounter with Raihan on that very spot, he couldn’t forget about how much Raihan loved that view, and, unknowilling to him, he started loving it too. Every detail, every sight and every shining star in the sky were things that became so dear to Leon over time. Those little aspects of life that made Raihan happy, unconsciously made him happy too.

Leon raised his arm, covered in the red fabric of his regal and pointed at the deep blue sky. “That one’s Leo, the King Star. You said it reminded you of me,” his voice was as soft as the velvet of some of his clothes, with the sweetness of the tastiest of cakes. Even on that cold night, Raihan felt as if his heart was melting. “I started to pay more attention to the sky after that night, and you were right—it’s awesome!”

A loud laugh escaped from Leon’s lips. It was weird—Raihan had always heard him laugh yet, in that moment, it felt different, as if he were laughing genuinely now. Since they were rivals, the two of them were constantly exposed to the public eye, so creating an alter ego was a must-do. Raihan was the same, always intense in battle yet chill outside of it; but he was already used to hiding his true feelings to not disappoint anyone. He understood that Leon had been hiding his true self that whole time, and now was able to experience a joyful life in which he could be true to himself. His happiness made him glow under the moonlight, with the purple strands of hair sticking out in the light of night.

“—… And that one’s the Shield, and…”

Suddenly, Leon’s voice was louder than Raihan’s thought, and that when the Dragon-type leader realized that he had just gotten lost thinking about Leon’s struggles as a Champion, that he didn’t hear what he was saying. He jumped a little closer to him, just enough so their knees could meet, and put his hand in the space between the two.

“Wanna know something?” Raihan asked. When Leon nodded enthusiastically, he looked to the sky and, upon grabbing his wrist, helped him point a certain group of stars. The brightest ones formed a straight line, and the highest shining dot had two similar dots on both sides; next to it, some shining stars in zig-zag stood out. “Look at that constellation, it’s called Aeternum. The eternity.”

Leon shrinked his eyes upon staring at those stars in the sky. There was something weird about it—when he was Champion, he looked at the stars every night and never saw that constellation that shone brighter than the others. Not even from the highest point of the now called Battle Tower there was a trace of that constellation. The question on his mind was not when, but how could a group of stars appear suddenly in the nightly sky?

Luckily for him, Raihan was there to answer the riddles in his mind, as if he were able to read his thoughts. Even the mighty Alakazam couldn’t figure out the words on his head, yet Raihan had always been the one who knew exactly what he was thinking, no matter if he didn’t say a word.

“I found out about this one fairly recently, after the events with…  _ Eternatus _ ,” Raihan’s voice lowered a tone after saying that name. Not only it was a sensible topic for Leon, but for all of Galar. At that very moment, the two of them were sitting on top of Eternatus’ birth place. The survival of Hammerlocke’s Castle was a complete miracle, but that was not the matter at hand. “One night, I saw those stars in the sky, so I took the liberty of choosing the name myself.”

Upon giving it a second look, Leon could see something more than a group of shining dots. The first figure, that featured a straight line, kind of resembled a person with something on their head—could it be a crown?—, and the figure by its side in a zig-zag matter seemed like a majestic animal, like a dragon that was flying alongside the king. Eternity? Raihan was really creative when it came to choosing names, and that one wasn’t the exception. He couldn’t deny the fact that it sounded a little too much like Eternatus, but that’s something that Raihan probably already knew. But maybe, just maybe, Aeternum was something more hopeful. At least that’s what Leon was hoping for.

Just when he was giving into his thought, Raihan’s voice echoed through the darkness of his mind. “Do you remember when you asked if there was a constellation that reminded me of us?” Raihan asked, but before Leon could answer, he intervened. “I think I’ve found it.”

Leon tilted his head to the side, trying to understand his words—he didn’t remember asking him that, but he wasn’t surprised by it. That day, he would still ask the same question, because he always saw the sky so Raihan wasn’t alone when he felt sad. Maybe they couldn’t be at the same place all the time, but they still saw the same deep blue sky.

“I know people nowadays don’t tell stories about the constellations, so I decided I would create a tale about our constellation,” on Raihan’s face there was a tiny smile with a whole different vibe to it; he seemed happy and excited about it. “Once upon a time, there was a king who was challenged by a dragon. Their rivalry was so famous that people often bet money to try to predict who would back down first, but neither of them did it. When a great calamity shook their kingdom, the rivals worked together to ensure peace in their land. At the ends, the gods were so moved by their teamwork and rivalry, that they sent them to the sky in the form of the shiniest constellation, and they would continue their challenge for all eternity.”

Leon listened closely to Raihan’s tale. He had known him for a long time, so he was well aware of his rival’s tendency to get lost in fairytales. From an avid history lover to a casual storyteller, he was a box full of surprises, and that tale, or legend, was something that could have been easily heard in an ancient story. A real legend passed down by generations. Leon swinged his legs in the air, having fun just by hearing that tale; his cheeks reddened upon thinking about having his own constellation with Raihan, and his flustered expression gave it away.

“So, I guess I’m the king,” Leon finally said. He had never been good with words that required his true self.

“Naturally,” Raihan replied. “And I’m the dragon.”

They both looked up to the sky, putting all their attention in the tiny little dots. The clear sky was nice, and even the chill breeze felt nice to the touch. For a split second, Leon looked down to the space between the two and saw Raihan’s hand on it, and slowly, with the nerves on his throat, he put his hand on top of Raihan’s. His fingers were warm, unlike his own, and the Gym Leader gladly accepted the invitation, because he didn’t think twice before intertwining his fingers with Leon’s. Neither of them said anything about it, and their silence spoke louder than a thousand words. For the first time, they were both aware that their hearts resonated in the same tone, playing the same melody and singing the same songs. And they were happy about it.

Some minutes passed in which the two of them stared at the horizon in absolute silence, just enjoying each other’s company and, unknowingly, getting closer to each other. Leon even rested his head on Raihan’s shoulder, which only made the latter grin like an idiot. When it was finally time to break the ice, Raihan looked at him and softly spoke.

“So… for eternity, is it?” Raihan said. “I want to be the star by your side for all eternity.”

Leon only smiled as he lifted his gaze to him. His eyes were the softest Raihan had ever seen, and his little chuckle was as adorable as he always was. After straightening his back, he was in the right position to kiss his cheek gently.

“For all eternity,” he replied.

Silence reigned for just a little more, as the answer was as clear as day. When their public personas were the kings during the day, their real selves took over the region by night. Below that deep blue sky, they could be themselves, and spending time with each other was always precious.

“You said you were heading home,” Raihan said after a while. “Wanna stay at my place?”

Leon nodded instantly. It was very late, so the train stations were already closed, and he didn’t want to take out Charizard, who was already tired from the hard work at the Battle Tower, so staying with Raihan was the best option. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take the offer.”

* * *

The next morning was a special one. Between the two there had always been certain chemistry that they couldn’t explain, so sharing breakfast together and sleeping under the same roof was something that they would never dream of. Before going back to Wyndon, Raihan took Leon to the Hammerlocke Gym to show him around; after all, they didn’t get the chance to hang out like that because they were both busy with work. The Gym wasn’t something amazing, maybe the outside structure was the most surprising part, with that stunning sculpture of a dragon on its highest part. But, on the inside, it was like any normal Gym of the region.

Just as Leon was saying goodbye to Raihan and his fellow trainers, from Raihan’s pocket, his Rotom Phone flew to his face, showing a picture on the screen and below that, an article could be read. Leon waited for him to say what he was reading, because the expression on his face was one of awe, to say the least. If something could excite Raihan like that, it had to be something truly fascinating.

“According to researchers from Sinnoh’s Institute of Astronomy,” Raihan read, moving his pupils from left to right as he said the words out loud. “A new constellation had been under study for the past months, as it appeared suddenly in the night sky. After countless hours of investigations, it has been determined that this constellation didn’t exist until recently, or at least there hasn’t been reports of these stars before. Following the traditions, it’s been called The Tenebris Diem, since many enthusiasts claimed to see the form of a king defeating a dragon, just like the old legends enriched in the Galar Region’s history.”

After reading that, the other gym trainers beside Raihan discussed about that, debating whether it was possible for a new constellation to appear from nothing or if it was related to the events that happened fairly recently in the region.

Raihan and Leon just looked at each other, remembering the conversation they had during the night, and could only laugh about it. And, in eternity, they would laugh about that again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this!! I had been thinking about a second part to my 'Stars of our own design' one shot for some time, and it's finally here! This time, it features Post-Game Raihan and Leon. I think it's obvious but I'd still like to clarify that the constellation that Raihan found doesn't exist in real life, it's just a creative liberty I took.
> 
> Keep in mind that English is not my first language, so there might be some mistakes. Any support is appreciated!


End file.
